Don’t overhaul private pensions for the sake of saving money, chancellor February 9, 2016 George Osborne has been a radical on private pensions. The 2014 Budget decision to allow individuals to opt-out of purchasing an annuity was a true liberalising measure, enabling people to access their pension pots and use their own savings as they see fit. Yet now it is rumoured that the chancellor might announce a complete [...]
Not responding to emails is cowardly and unprofessional February 8, 2016 Around this time last year, Lucy Kellaway wrote in the Financial Times that not responding to emails “breeds insanity”. “Grow up, no response is also a response,” one reader commented. This may be true, but it’s no way to do business. Last year, I was engaged in advanced negotiations with a big management consultancy – [...]
Women more likely than men to put their entire Isa savings in cash February 6, 2016 Are women being too cautious with their savings? A new report has found that men are 20 per cent more likely than women to use a stocks and shares Isa, as women prefer to put their entire savings into cash. More than four out of five, 82 per cent, of women put all their Isa [...]
How Andorra attracted wealthy property investors by relaxing residency laws February 5, 2016 The tiny Pyrenean principality of Andorra only fully opened its doors to international investment in 2012, in order to diversify its economy. It has also now relaxed residency laws in a move towards attracting wealthier citizens. As a result, the property market, which until last year was stagnating, has begun to see a significant rise [...]
Warren Buffett values companies with strong brands: Should you? February 5, 2016 Coca-Cola, American Express, Heinz, Warren Buffett is a well-known advocate of buying and holding familiar companies with strong brands. “The dynamics of capitalism guarantee that competitors will repeatedly assault any business ‘castle’ that is earning high returns,” he wrote in 2007. “Therefore a formidable barrier such as a company being the low-cost producer or possessing [...]
Former pensions minister Steve Webb warns chancellor George Osborne: Don’t become the ghost of Gordon Brown February 5, 2016 Former pensions minister Steve Webb will today urge chancellor George Osborne to abandon proposals for a controversial change to the pensions system. Webb, who was pensions minister in the coalition and is now director of policy at Royal London, will warn Osborne not to repeat the mistakes of his Labour predecessor Gordon Brown by fiddling [...]
P2P lending: Four predictions for 2016 February 4, 2016 After a decade of bold leaps, 2016 is the year that peer-to-peer (P2P) lending will finally come of age. It has built a loyal following of investors, but remains something of a niche asset class. This year it will launch itself as a true mainstream investment option. Why? The Innovative Finance Isa In the 2015 [...]
Violence breaks out in Athens’ Syntagma Square during mass rally against pensions reforms February 4, 2016 Violence has broken out in Athens' Syntagma Square during a mass rally demonstrating against pensions reforms. Images from the protests show riot police dealing with outbreaks of a fire after a group of masked individuals were seen throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at police. Witnesses told Reuters that fights erupted between protesters and police on the [...]
UK pensions: Three-quarters of UK employees are anticipating being worse off in retirement than their parents, and those who are worried about money are more likely to be out of the office unwell February 3, 2016 Sons and daughters spend much of their childhood trying to imitate their parents, but their inability to mimic their pension pot has left them with a sense of worry. Research released today by professional services firm Willis Towers Watson has discovered that almost three-quarters of UK workers think that their parents' generation will benefit from a [...]
Online farmers market Farmdrop receives funding boost from Skype’s co-founder February 3, 2016 Farmdrop, a grocery website that allows consumers to buy directly from producers, has secured £3m of investment in its latest round of funding led by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström. His investment firm Atomico was joined by a consortium of backers including JamJar Investments, run by Innocent entrepreneurs, Richard Reed, Jon Wright and Adam Balon. Farmdrop was founded by ex-Morgan Stanley stockbroker Ben Pugh with the aim of putting more [...]